Releasable casting weight



Feb, 4, 11. Q 5, JQHNSON4 2,239,751

RELEASABLE CASTING WEIGHT Filed Jan. 2, 1940 Patented Feb. 4, 1941 UrNiTEo STATE-"sl PATENT orties 2,230,751 RELEASABLE CASTING WEIGHT YChester S. J ohnson,. Stockton', Calif. applicati@ January 2, 1940, serial No; 311,968

7 Claims.

This inventionrelates generally to an improvement in fishing tackle, and in particular the invention is directed to an improved casting weight.

; The principal object of: the invention is to provide a one-time casting weight adapted flor releasable connection with a fishingV line or leader, and arranged to automatically release itself therefrom when the cast complete and loi the tacklelstrikes vthe water.

Another object of the invention is` to provide a casting weight, of the type described,` whichis formed of relatively heavy but cheap material and, thus capa-ble of being manufactured and sold at a low price.4

AV further object of the invention is to produce a simple and inexpensive device and yet one which will be exceedingly effective for the purpose for which it is designed.

These objects I accomplish by4 means of such structure and relativearrangement of parts as,

will fully appear by a perusal of. thefollowing specification andclaims.

In the drawingssimilar.. characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the `several views:

Figure 1 isa bottom weight.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal elevation thereof.

Figure 3 is a top plan view thereof.l Figure 4 is a longitudinal section on line 4 4 of Fig. 3.

Figure 5 is a longitudinal section on line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the casting weight as attached to a line or leader.

Figure 7 is a longitudinal elevation of the casting weight; the full lines illustrating its position just prior to its release from the line, while the 40 dotted lines show the weight as partly released and dropping away from the line.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawing, the improved casting weight comprises a solid body I of relatively heavy but cheap material such as clay; said body being elongated and preferably-but not necessarily-of cylindrical configuration.

'I'he body I is formed with aradial slit 2, of constant depth, extending from the upper end 3 to the lower end 4 of said body; the slit at the bottom 5 thereof terminating short of the longitudinal center line of the body.

Another elongated slit 6, disposed entirely within the body, extends at an acute angle to slit 2,' said slits 2 and li being in communicaplan view of the casting tion. with eachotheralong the bottomthereof (see Fig. 45)) TheY slit: is open toandfofisubstantial depth at the top or upperlend 3 of the body and decreases in depth downward to the lower end'4'of the body where it tapersout and 5'. merges with slit `2 at the bottom thereof. In other words, the-radially outermost longitudinal-edge "I of slit' 6 inclines from the upperend 3 of the body downward toward the bottom of slit 2V and merges therewith at the lower as indicated at 8, The two slits together may be considered'as forming a V-shaped channel.

In use, the above described castingweightA is: releasably attached to the line or leader Sfin'the following manner: 5:

The line is formedwith an obstruction I 0 which l may be a relatively large knot, or, `as shown, a split-shot clamped thereon. The portion of the line `immediatelyabove the obstruction lis drawn into slit-2 to the bottom thereof. Thereafter said 2o portion of the line is `drawn intofslit 6` until it is resting against ythe edge-'I of said slit. The body I' lisvthen! shifted along the line if` necessary to bring ,theobstruction 9 into abutting relation wthitheflowerend 4 of=body' I ancl'at point 8f.

Thus, .thefbody I ris in` effectV hooked on thelinel and reimains in such position due to the-uneven? distribution of the weight of the body relative to the slits, and particularly when the line rests against edge l of slit 6.

With the casting weight so attached to the line, it cannot readily escape as long as the body exerts a force against obstruction 9 and the line immediately thereabove remains relatively taut as when preparing to and during a cast. As soon 35 as a cast is complete and the line falls into the water in a substantially horizontal position, the casting weight falls away from the line and sinks to the bottom leaving the angler with a nonweighted line as is desired for certain types of fishing.

`The casting weight frees itself from the line in the following manner: As the line strikes the water and levels off, the body I, due to the fact that the slits 2 and 6 are off center, swings about the line until slit 2 is open upward. The line has by this time become relatively slack and obstruction 9 no longer forcefully abuts end l of the body. As a result, the body begins to fall away at end 4 from the line as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 7, and as slits 2 and 6 have communicating bottoms and as edge 1 merges therewith at point 8, the line beginning at obstruction 9 is progressively carried out of slit 6 into slit 2 from which it progressively escapes as the body end 4 of the body, 1b;

continues to fall or sink and until the body and line are entirely separated.

While the casting weight, when once used, is 10st, it is of very inexpensive construction and the cost thereof would be nominal compared with the resulting advantages. The casting Weight is especially adapted to be used for live bait, spinner, or plug fishing, and is also useful when it is desired to cast and then have a free line when shing in still Water.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that I have produced such a device as substantially fuliills the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such-deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A releasable casting Weight for fishing tackle, said Weight comprising a body of relatively heavy material, said body having a pair of longitudinally extending slits formed therein and extending from end to end thereof, said slits being in communication along one longitudinal edge, one of said slits being open to the exterior of the body at its other longitudinal edge, While the opposite edge of the other slit inclines from one end of the body toward said communicating edges and merges therewith at the other end of the body.

2. A releasable casting Weight for fishing tackle, said Weight comprising a cylindrical body l of relatively heavy material; the body having a radial slit therein open to the exterior of the body and extending from end to end thereof, and another full length but longitudinally tapering slit within the body at an acute angle to said first named slit and in communication therewith along corresponding longitudinal edges, said other slit being of substantial depth at one end of the body and tapering out at the otherend of the body.

3. A releasable casting Weight for shng tackle, said weight comprising a body of relatively heavy material, said body having a longitudinal channel extending therethrough from end to end, said channel being substantially V-shaped in cross section, one side only of said channel being open to the exterior of the body, while the other side of the channel inclines from one end of the body to the other end and at said other end merges with said one side of the channel.

4. A device as in claim 3 in which said one side of the channel is radial with the body and terminates short of the axial line of the body.

5. In combination, a casting line, a casting Weight, and releasable securing means between the line and Weight arranged to maintain said line and Weight together during a cast, but to release the Weight from the line upon completion of the cast and the line adjacent the Weight assuming a substantially horizontal position in the water.

6. In combination, a casting line, a casting weight, and means formed in part with the body and including an obstruction on the line adjacent its free end, to maintain said line and Weight together during a cast, but to release the weight from the line upon completion of the cast and the line adjacent the Weight assuming a substantially horizontal position in the Water.

'1. A releasable casting Weight for iishing tackle, said Weight comprising a. body of relatively heavy material, said body having an open slit cut therein to a predetermined constant depth and open to said full depth at opposed points on the exterior surface of the body and another longitudinally tapering slit substantially the same length as the open slit enclosed within the body at .an acute angle to the open slit and communicating therewith along corresponding edges; said enclosed slit being of substantial depth at end to the exterior surface of the body and tapering out to a junction with the open slot adjacent the opposite end of the latter.

CHESTER S, JOHNSON.

one end and being open at said 

